Angel Appears to Shepherds in Bethlehem Field
BETHLEHEM – Local shepherds were filled with fear when an angel of the Lord appeared to them while they were watching their flocks last night. But the angel immediately comforted them by saying, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
I suppose if there had been a Bethlehem Gazette the story may have been reported something like that. Amazing news! It is certainly a headline story! A Savior is born for “ALL THE PEOPLE”! This is global news! “I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS”! This is personal news! You and I simply MUST share this Good News!
So, I invite you to share in the joy of doing so! Why? Because this is what we do—with your help––at Lutherans For Life. We help pastors, educators, congregations, and individuals connect this Good News to the life issues. This Good News is truly the most powerful, positive, and life-affirming FOR LIFE message ever spoken!
“ALL THE PEOPLE,” including those in our pews, need to hear of the great value this message gives to human life. People need to hear it spoken personally to them and applied to the temptations they face, the difficult situations they encounter, and the mistakes they make. (The greatest compliment I’ve ever heard a preacher receive was spoken after a sermon by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann. Someone said, “He preached the Gospel right into my life.” Wow!)
Pregnant Woman Turned Away from Inn
BETHLEHEM – A nine-month pregnant woman, Mary of Nazareth, and her husband, Joseph, had to be turned away from one of our Bethlehem inns. “The decree by Caesar Augustus that all should be registered in their hometowns has filled all our inns to capacity,” stated the innkeeper.
Obviously, that innkeeper was not an LFL’er! Our mission is to “equip Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life.” Part of being a Gospel voice is DOING!
People who understand the connection between the Good News of Christmas and the value of every life, will be moved to welcome vulnerable, pregnant women. When we do, we have opportunity to help them make a choice that is best for them and their baby.
When we share with them the love of Christ, we may have opportunity to point them to the Christ of love and the Good News that He was born for “ALL THE PEOPLE” including them!
And you never know just who that baby might be!
Baby Found Lying in a Manger!
BETHLEHEM – Reports coming in during the night of a baby found lying in a manger appear to be true! The same shepherds who reported the Good News message of the angel (See “Good News! Great Joy! story) said this would be the sign. They would “find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” A Savior born in a manger? That seems strange. We will continue to follow this story.
I remember Micki, a beautiful girl with Down Syndrome speaking to three hundred people at an LFL conference. “Thanks for giving kids like me a chance,” she said. LFL helps people give kids like Micki a chance by letting them know that a Savior born in a dusty, manure-smelling stable is a Savior who came to give “ALL THE PEOPLE” a chance!
God’s love in Jesus and the value it gives does not depend upon how big you are or where you live or the condition of your health. EVERYONE from the embryo in a Petri dish to those unresponsive in care centers is someone created by God, someone for whom Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again—someone He desires to call as His very own child. When you support LFL, you help equip people to understand that our meaning, purpose, and value do not come from what we are able to do or not do, but from what God has done for us through a baby, lying in a manger.
Joseph of Nazareth – Man of Integrity
BETHLEHEM – Who is this family that has caused such a stir in our quiet little town? According to reports, this pregnancy was not exactly planned by Joseph and Mary. One report says, “Before they came together she was found to be with child.” According to the Law, Joseph could have had Mary stoned. But remarkably, “Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” There are reports of angel activity associated with this family from the beginning. The angel reportedly told Joseph that this child conceived in Mary was “from the Holy Spirit” and that the child should be named “Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us”! How could that be? We will continue to investigate.
“The people at the clinic never gave me any alternatives,” a young woman wrote to us. “All I could think of was abortion. I really couldn’t see beyond the moment.”
As many with unintended pregnancies are pressured to do today, Joseph could have turned to death to solve his problem. Instead he trusted in the promises of the Lord of Life.
LFL strives to share the promises of the Lord of Life so that there are more Josephs out there and more Marys—people who can turn to Jesus because they know He alone can help them because He is Immanuel, God with us!
Again, I ask that you help us bring this story of Good News and Great Joy into the lives of people facing difficult temptations and difficult situations. Help us make a difference. With your special Christmas gift, you can help spread the only news powerful enough to do so!
I pray this Good News of Great Joy will make a difference in your life!
Your servant For Life,
Jim Lamb
P.S. The Life Team here at the Life Center prays that you will take this message personally! Jesus was born for all people—each and every person, including you! May His peace and grace be with you, and may all the promises of God that find their “yes” in this baby give you strength and hope in the coming year.
